Full-time video game streamer Afiq Mat Zaid, or better known as Cikgu Zyd, never thought that his effort to hold a simple virtual rally for Palestine on Roblox would go viral on social media.

“It was unexpected because it was meant for a small group of local players on Roblox. We started on Oct 21 and didn’t get much traction then,” he said when contacted by LifestyleTech.

Cikgu Zyd said the purpose was just to “spread awareness about humanity”. A friend, whom he described as a 15-year-old student, had already created the Dataran Tanjung Mas server on Roblox on Oct 14. The server is modelled after a popular recreational spot for locals in Muar, Johor.

“He talked about wanting to do something for Palestine. So I said let’s host a virtual rally there and he agreed,” Cikgu Zyd said.

Roblox is an online game platform where users can create games or other virtual experiences for other players. Word about the Palestine rally began to spread on social media, with one user’s post on X (formerly Twitter) talking about a “cousin” who is 15 joining a rally on Roblox. Another user later responded with a clip of the rally from the Dataran Tanjung Mas server. The post has since gained more than 23 million views.

On TikTok, Cikgu Zyd’s own clip of the rally has received more than 1.6 million views with other users asking how they can join the server on Roblox.

He said more than 197,000 users have visited the server since the first rally was held on Oct 21. — Cikgu Zyd

“Since then, we’ve had over 197,000 players visiting the server on Roblox. Each server can only host 200 players at a time, and we will create more servers to let other players participate. So when all the servers are full, the others can watch the rally through a livestream on Facebook. Last night, we got up to 5,000 viewers,” he said.

Cikgu Zyd shared during the rally, he’ll tell players to stand together so they can march towards the main stage in the server. Players can also choose to hold a Malaysian or Palestine flag.

“Most players on Roblox are young. It can get chaotic at times. Based on feedback, I found out that most players have school in the day. So I will only hold the march in the evening at around 5.30pm and we try to end at 7pm before evening prayers,” Cikgu Zyd said, adding he has received messages from parents who said they attended the virtual rally with their kids.

Cikgu Zyd said he is also mindful about the community guidelines on Roblox which does not allow for hate speech or harmful behaviour.

“I have to remind players that our purpose is to hold a peaceful gathering and we do not want to spread hatred. There will be no swearing or negativity. We have administrators in each server to monitor behaviour,” he said, adding players will be kicked out if they act inappropriately.

He claimed, however, that the server was taken down last night and was reinstated after three hours.

“It happened after we ended a rally. The platform only said that we had too many people trying to enter the server and they need to take it down for a review,” he said.

Cikgu Zyd said he is touched to receive positive feedback for the rally.

“I think it’s also important to share how young people want to do their part to inspire change and spread awareness online,” he added.